Friday, July 03, 2009

Hubris, Thine Name is Harper

I watched Harper being given the Govenor General's salute on Canada Day and shook my head. In fact, I'd seen a story the day before that suggested he had pushed the GG aside, so to speak, in order to be the one to receive this honour.

It's really a remarkable turn of events that few in the main stream seem willing to remark on. Like many things this PM has done, there has been a failure to expose the erosion of tradition...something that he has exemplified.

When Don Newman stepped down from his show, someone paying tribute to him, Joe Clark maybe?, said that what held Newman apart was his respect for the institutions that make this country what it is. He said, respect for those institutions was critical in terms of reporting.

I would agree and suggest that that element is sorely lacking. Cynicism seems to rule the day and what's often written for our daily consumption is nothing more than, 'well...they all do it...'

No. They don't. I watched the funeral for Romeo LeBlanc today and heard of a man who truly did it differently. He served this country for all the right reasons.

Harper was there and I know I should say something nice about that, but I can't. I watched him and wondered how he could feel comfortable. He who boycotted LeBlanc's investiture and called him a hack and Chretien croney. He who is the absolute and complete antithesis of what LeBlanc stood for, sat there feeling what exactly?

I saw him take communion and thought that odd, since he's not a Roman Catholic, but upon reflection, it fits doesn't it? He has no respect for institutions and considers himself to be entitled to anything he wants.

I know the 'right' chuckles when this kind of thing is brought up, but when you consider the psychology of the man, there really is a frightening profile to consider and it's no laughing matter.

Hubris is an incredible word. I'm just not sure it's encompassing enough to describe the man who leads this country.

22 comments:

Hubris is too nice for him. Anyhow, I saw the Funeral and when I look back, I see how quiet, gentle a man Romeo was. Harper looked well out of place. I noticed he was always too close to the GG....it is getting worse...how stupid can people be that cannot see anything wrong with him.

I saw this and shook my head too. What does it say when a leader cannot, or will not, acknowledge basic protocol? It is what leaders of modern democracies do.

If he wants to usurp the authority of the monarchy, then have it. Let's start the debates and open the constitution. But just petty little swipes here and there, just so the camera makes you look more "Presidential."

Actually, it just makes you look more like the 3-year old throwing a tantrum over the cake at his Birthday party, or wanting to take all the swings to get at the Pinata.

Geesh.

My analogy for this latest immature stunt is manners. The thought has always been that if a person won't display small niceties or can't be bothered to learn them or - worse yet - goes out of the way to rail against them, then what else does the individual hold in such low esteem - people's feelings, ethical trusts, legal obligations?

In this case, we already know Harper doesn't give ethical considerations much weight so I guess he figured, "What the hell - I want the damn podium today?"

Who is entitledThe current Canadian practice is to be found in the Canadian Forces Administration Orders (CFAO 61-8, mod 8/84).

Honours and salutes are accorded to the following dignitaries:

Heads of state; The Queen's representatives in Canada Members of reigning royal families Heads of governments Ambassadors and high commissioners accredited to Canada; and Ministers of National Defence.

That's what she gets for letting him prorogue parliament. So, he's getting rid of the queen, endorsing capital punishment, giving stimulus money only to conservative ridings and trying to dismantle the CBC.

This twigged my memory and I found it - in the spring I received a 10 percenter from my Con MP which has the following questions:

- Should Canada continue fighting in Afghanistan? Stay Leave

- Do we need a Governor General? Yes No

- What should be done about the senate? Elect Eliminate Nothing- Do you agree with recent changes to pay equity? Yes No- Are you ready to have fun this summer Yes Yes

(I've been saving them and have 17 of 18 I've received so far).

Also, when watching the funeral and Don Newman was telling little tidbits he mentioned that when Chretien was appointing LeBlanc as the first Acadian/French GG - there was a lot of contraversy and some people were trying to boycott it - among them "Harper".

Harper usurps all authority (rule of law), protocol & institutions. Do any of you remember that prior to when he was going to the GG to ask to have Parliament prorogued last Dec. many of his Ministers, & other MP's in his caucus, said that if she said "no" he would go over her head?Not sure where he would "go" to go over her head other than to make himself the sole "Ruler" of Canada thus creating a totalitarian state - which is what he wants anyway, or so it appears.

YOu guys either have a short memory or were not paying attention to the Chretien majority years.

THAT was a dictatorship. From top to bottom the Liberals controlled government, had their honchos as heads of all crown corps,set up $9 billion in "trusts" around the world which cannot be traced, ripped off the taxpayer for electioneering ala adscam in Quebec but it happened everywhere and destroyed anyone or any group that tried to speak up for democracy. And you complain NOW with a minority government, liberal controlled senate, still most crown corps with Liberals at the helm and within the senior civil service who are pulling the strings?Wow.

Dictatorship under Chretien Marie? What was I missing, I never felt oppressed during those years.

Go back to your BT talking points and try to come up with a new one.

About this Liberal dominated senate, what would you say if we had elected senators and the Liberals won more and dominated?

Chretien didn't try to destroy our institutions, he did't try to overtake the GG, he didn't spend huge amounts of taxpayer dollars send out 10 percenters and partisan propoganda in non-election times. Oh, I mustn't forget those over the top show and tell announcements - taxpayer monies again campaigning.

...Nationwide, 65 per cent thought Canada should cut its ties to the Monarchy when the next Royal is crowned. In Ontario, the province most favourable to the Queen, the number was 58 per cent; in Quebec, it was 86 per cent.''

Wilson, protocol isn't normally DICTATED to the masses but rather is something arrived at through tradition, in a quest for dignity, to establish uplifting, meaningful ceremony within and between states with regard to the concept of statesmanship.Harper's 'punchbowl turd', approach, though a unique & well established personal signature, does not lend well to the concept of protocol.However, far be it from me to deny you, Marie and Steve the right to sip from whatever bowl you choose; we are after all, a democracy.